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A couple perfect hexagons of limestone
Tilt against each other like elephants at a circus.
The final stone lies flat, calm,
Upon its surface engraved the familiar pattern of
Ivory and ebony.
His deft hands flick the pieces into place.
Each one he cradles as a long-time friend.
The stolen ...

Afternoon’s searing heat has melted but
Clings damply to the smalls of our backs
Even as the sky softens into
Velvety, tropical darkness.
Indignant shouts ring from the baseball game.
The tennis ball’s muffled thump
In ragged, well-worn mitts.
They cut off their words here, did you kn...

Every morning it’s exactly the same.
On my white china plate you place
One piece of whole-grain toast, cut into two neat triangles,
One pat of marigold butter slowly melting into the bread,
One tall glass of milk, blue-tinged in the morning light,
And one crystal bowl piled with fruit.
I c...

Once the hammock ruled our garden.
It stretched between our cherry tree
And the strong, silent picket fence,
Presiding over the daisies.
I remember now its red and white stripes and
The fraying rough rope that burned our hands.
When wind chimes tinkled and lawnmowers roared,
You and I would...

The salty sea wind snatches tears from my eyes and whisks them away before they have the chance to fall. A threadbare jacket stolen from my grandmother does nothing to block the insistent gusts. The beach is silent; even the seagulls have flown inland for refuge.
I shiver on a desolate, windswep...

I saw this painting, once, of a flock of seagulls. Most of them had ruffled off-white feathers and their heads all scrunched down, looking like your average seagull. There was one outcast, though, in the middle, whose neck stretched near as long as a giraffe’s, with muddy brown feathers to boot. T...

Velvet black night shines through the skylight, sprinkled with a dusting of stars. The pinpoints of light glimmer in their serene constellations like tiny angels. They gleam far, far away from the chaos below.
Behind a storm of hair spray and false eyelashes and frilly skirts, one mouse-brown teena...

Despite what you might think, it’s not actually that hard to tie a four-year-old to a chair. I only need one hand to pinion her to her seat, despite her struggles and snarls. Her teeth are bared in a vicious grin, her eyes maniacal, shining as if demon-possessed. With one final tug, I secure the j...

Rustlings and whispers disturb the chill night as campers arrange themselves around the dully-glowing fire. Sleeping bags are shifted, mats are wrestled into submission, logs are yanked into place. As the chaos dies down, I stare across the circle into the ghostly faces of my friends. It is as if I ...

Laughter and joking taunts float on chlorinated air, audible even over the resounding splashes of water as competitors propel themselves off the blocks. The bullpen overflows with the confidence of the club swimmers. They saunter past in their wildly patterned racing suits, the straps of which barel...

The girl grumbles and growls gloomily.
Her hair hangs in hanks around her face.
Silently she slips her suit from the floor,
The green garb glittering and glinting in the dawn.
The sleek, silent straps snap over her collarbone,
Bleak black borders her brawny back,
Tangled tendrils tumble from...

I thought photography was supposed to be more personal.
But there you are,
Slinging down your cameras, clattering your tripod
So I flinch like a hurt cat.
The camera dwarves your face,
Making me wonder,
Can you see me?
I am thirty-three years old.
I gave myself up to dance when I was ten....

The red brick wall swarms with ivy
Tendrils like glossy curls of hair
Memories tangled in the ocean of green
Obscured by the greedy leaves.
My fingers remember though
Blooming with frigid roses
They burrow into the matted prison bars
Ragged nails scraping aside the passage of Time.
There...

Diana crosses her slim legs at the ankle and absentmindedly strokes her straight ebony hair. Her face is a mask of composure, but inside she is already smiling with triumph and graciously accepting congratulations. The poetry contest is already won. Nobody could compete with the piece she has submit...

Words trickle down out of the bruised sky
Drown my mouth until I choke on sinuous raindrops like laughter
Spread my arms wide and watch ropes of letters
Inch down my trembling shoulders twine around my biceps
Ingrain themselves into the quivering muscles of my forearms
Breathe the blood-tinged ...

For once your sense of smell triumphs over your ears
Even before you hear the first crystal explosions
Refracting off the rotting wood in the unused patio
You sense the mustiness
The scent of rain
Deep and abiding
Interlinked illusions of iridescent oil slicks
Mountain streams rilling over pe...

Oh say can you see
Her quivering voice echoes in the vaulted space
Faltering on the ethereal notes of chlorine
Permeating quivering air
The national anthem struggles to slice its way
Through bitter currents of tension
Shuffling sweaty feet
Nervous whispers and last-minute adjustments
To leak...

The bitter sky hurled a deluge of tears
Down onto the dull stone bridge
That wearily spanned the turbid river
Waves swirled and water crashed
Up the banks in a tidal wave of grief
Coursing into the gritty mortar and rending it
With murky fingers
Until the stones creaked their protest
And sur...

A silver chalice
Hope and greed
Riches in a myriad number
The beauty that slowly tears us apart
It also holds water quite well.
A sneer
Derision and trouble
The sign of late nights and shattered glass
Dangerous laughs that tear shoelaces
Or a muscular tic.
A trench-coated woman
Is shi...

On occasion
I pass my fingers through dying candle flames
Feel the heat and know that I'm alive
I grasp the quicksilver rain and watch it trickle through my palms
Marvel as it arcs and shimmers on the floor
I let the night tumble into my starstruck eyes
Scream as it pierces my heart
I da...